In recent years, the increasing use of standing desks, height-adjustable desks, and walking treadmills paired with a desk (possibly height adjustable), in a home or work environment, generates a need to have more flexibility in how keyboards and other peripherals can be adjusted due to the wider range of adjustments required to span sitting, standing, and walking while using these devices.
The use of standing desks and treadmill desks is becoming more commonplace. Standard computer keyboards are designed for use while sitting at a standard-height desk, often with the weight of the user's arms supported by chair arms. Typical keyboards provide for a means of small angle adjustment; however, these features only allow adjustment to increase the height of the edge of the keyboard furthest from the user. This direction of angle adjustment is opposite from what is ergonomically proper, which is why under-desk trays that can tilt the front edge of the keyboard higher than the back edge are sold. However, few people use such trays as they are very expensive and many desks have a drawer in the way or have too little available space between the bottom of the desk surface and the top of the user's lap to accommodate such a device comfortably.
Using a keyboard without an ergonomic under-desk tray to tilt the front edge of the keyboard up can lead to wrist pain and carpal tunnel syndrome as well as “computer hunch,” which can misalign the neck and shoulders and lead to chronic pain issues for computer users. This is one of the worst maladies associated with “sitting disease” as documented in many health studies.
The advent of standing desks and treadmill desks (both of which can employ height-adjustable desks) has introduced even more serious ergonomic issues for the computer user.
Another problem with existing keyboard positioning systems is that they do not hold a keyboard solidly and rigidly in one position. The positioning systems flex, move, wobble, and wiggle when reasonable forces are applied to them. These systems can flex or move because there are multiple parts that connect in a chain between the mount to the desk and the keyboard surface. These multiple connections between parts are there because they provide other benefits such as retracting the keyboard under the desk when not in use and allowing the keyboard tray to articulate up to a desired height as the keyboard tray is pulled out and then up. As a cumulative effect of the way these parts are connected, and the given machining tolerances of those connections, there is more opportunity for these parts to flex, or wiggle, and generally not be as solid, stable, or rigid. For example, a slide out drawer has two sliders that allow each side of the keyboard tray to slide out. Each of these sliders has an inner bar that slides inside an outer bar. This allows for some wiggle between the two parts. Some of these sliders may have bearings inserted between the inner and outer bar to reduce friction while they are sliding. All of the interfaces between parts allow for some wiggle room between the parts, which ultimately creates a less stable surface.
Another example is where there are movable joints that extend and hold the keyboard surface out in front of the table. Again, these movable adjustable joints are prone to wiggle due to the manufacturing tolerances and they extend the overall length of the lever arm where the majority of the weight and forces will be exerted.
Another problem with existing keyboard systems is that they are difficult and time-consuming to mount the first time and removing them and remounting them in other positions is equally complicated and time-consuming. There are other systems that do allow for quick mounting and un-mounting, but these are not as rigid or secure because they have independent mounts that are not directly connected to each other through one solid mechanism.
Another problem with existing keyboard positioning systems is typing while walking or resting hands on the keyboard system while walking. This motion can cause the keyboard surface to move, wobble, or wiggle. And, as a result, this motion can then cause the table and the computer monitor to move as well. This instability is made worse and exaggerated when there are many independent parts that are connected between the keyboard surface and the ultimate mount on the desk (e.g., “lily pad” or pull-out mouse platforms). Each independent component introduces more possibility for movement at each connection point between two components due to the manufacturing tolerances introduced by each part. These tolerances at connection points (i.e., joints) provide places for two parts to be able to move relative to each other thus making the system overall more susceptible to wiggling or wobbling at those joints or connection points. The walking motion itself is cyclic and those oscillations can cause the vibrations to grow and amplify causing even more extreme movement of the keyboard (and ultimately monitor) while a person is typing. This additional movement makes typing even harder to perform.